The present invention relates to a low calorie food material and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to an artificial rice material which becomes like a rice-like food of low calorie and high food fiber content, having properties and appearance like cooked rice, and method of manufacturing the same.
Recently, in Japan, due to the increasing trend of obesity, related adult diseases, and diet, the eating life is changing, and the rice consumption tends to decrease, but still the rice is the main food today. However, the rice is high in calorific value, and too much is taken unknowingly, or those on diet fall in a dilemma by taking too much calorie when desired to have a more feel of satisfaction. Moreover, for patients with allergic diseases or renal disorder, taking of rice may not be preferred.
On the other hand, as artificial rice, first the enriched rice was proposed by adding extra portion of vitamin B.sub.1 which is insufficient in rice, but it was no popular because of its color, etc. Further, the surface of the rice was treated by gelation in order to improve the taste of the rice deteriorated by long-term storage, or instant rice and retort rice were prepared by seeking the handiness. In these products, the surface was too smooth, and there were such various problems in the eating sensation that biting reaction was poor.
The Japanese Patent Publication No. 70461/1991 discloses a granular dry gel obtained by heating and gelling water dispersion sol containing a refined powder of konjak and a starch, and drying the produced water-containing gel. It is disclosed that when water is added to this dry gel and boiled, water-containing gel possessing both konjak jelly (devil's tongue)-like property and rice-like eating feel is obtained, but it is far from artificial rice in both appearance and eating sensation.
The Japanese Patent Publication No. 66180/1988 discloses a method of manufacturing dry gel by kneading a konjak mannan, a starch and the like to gel, and freezing, thawing and drying the produced gel, but it is nothing but dried konjak jelly, and not artificial rice.
Thus, artificial rice equally comparable with natural rice in both eating sensation and appearance is not available at the present.